Britten: Reflections

Featuring

Matthew Jones
Annabel Thwaite
Benjamin Britten
Frank Bridge

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Britten aimed for perfect clarity of expression in his music, stating, 'My technique is to tear all the waste away; to achieve perfect clarity of expression, that is my aim.'

Composer Biography

The majority of Britten's instrumental and chamber works, featured on this album, date from early in his life, before he became known for large-scale works like his fifteen operas.

Composer Biography

Benjamin Britten, the composer, began studying viola at age ten and met Frank Bridge, a violist and his composition teacher, at thirteen.

Composition History

Britten arranged his teacher Frank Bridge's 'There is a Willow Grows Aslant a Brook' for viola and piano after attending a choreographed performance and receiving the score as a gift.

Performer Biography

Matthew Jones, the violist and violinist on this recording, is also a composer, mathematics graduate, and teacher of the Alexander Technique and Kundalini Yoga.

Composition History

The 'Valse in B major' is the earliest work on the disc, based on a sketch Britten made when he was just ten years old, with its melody later used in his 'Simple Symphony'.

Composition History

Many pieces on this album, including 'Etude' and 'Reflection', were not performed until long after Britten's death, with some receiving their world premiere recordings on this disc.